Which Electrical Course? I'm NOT going be an electrician

[dontknowitall]

I do not wish to become an electrician!!! Nor do i want to be an apprentice. I'm a plumber and happy with that!!!

I've had a trawl through some threads and looked on a few training websites but can't really find what I'm looking for. I'd be grateful for some ideas please!

My wife and I are thinking of buying a small house to renovate. Between us we can do plumbing, flooring, dry lining, plastering, carpentry, tiling, decorating, curtain making, etc, etc. (We can't/won't do building work on the structure or drains and stuff like that - just internal work.)

I passed the Part P Defined Scope about three years ago but have forgotten most of it as I've used my electrician when required during my plumbing jobs (anything to do with the consumer unit or installing new cables, switches, etc.) (I can wire and diagnose/fix faults on S-Plan and Y-Plan systems.)

However, despite the above I'm looking for a short electrician's course to learn and re-learn about wiring, first fix, replacing the consumer unit, the boring earth bonding stuff (I have a mega meter but forgotten how to use it) and so on. I believe that the LABC can test and sign off work or if not I think my electrician will probably be happy to test and do this for me.

Which course would you recommend? Any answers gratefully received!

 

[OllieNotts]

How quickly do you think you will learn enough to start wiring up houses? To do the new 2357 you have to be in the trade to complete it as there is an NVQ involved so if you arent a sparks mate or whatever you wont get on it anyway.

 

[Octopus]

I'm still not believing your intentions.

I refer you back to my post #7

And if I have issues with our plumbing I pay a plumber to fix it. I don't know enough about plumbing and that's something you can see!

 

[morph]

local fast track training centre would offer you a short course that would probably fufill your needs

 

[Adam W]

Is there a course I could do as an electrician to learn how to plumb my own house if I didn't want to be a plumber?
I don't know about plumbing but with electrics you should be aiming to wire the odd house every now and again on a casual basis to the same standard as if you were making a career out of it; therefore the 2357 would be the best course, regardless of the scale on which you use the knowledge.

Other than that you'd be looking at some kind of domestic installer '6 week wonder' course. There are plenty of threads on the forum on the matter of those....

 

[dontknowitall]

Thanks Morph. That's the sort of thing I was looking for but wanted to ask here first rather than being hood winked into something I didn't really need.

 

[dontknowitall]

Is there a course I could do as an electrician to learn how to plumb my own house if I didn't want to be a plumber?
I don't know about plumbing but with electrics you should be aiming to wire the odd house every now and again on a casual basis to the same standard as if you were making a career out of it; therefore the 2357 would be the best course, regardless of the scale on which you use the knowledge.

Other than that you'd be looking at some kind of domestic installer '6 week wonder' course. There are plenty of threads on the forum on the matter of those....

Yes! Plenty of fast track courses "6 week wonder(!!)" around which will give you the basics. Plenty of threads on the plumbing forum about those as well - in a similar vein to the threads on here (believe it or not!) That is, might teach you the basics but you need the experience.

 

[Adam W]

There's your answer then - you could spend a fortune on a fast track course with the intention of learning the basics, but not many people here would recommend them.

 

[telectrix]

personally, i think your best bet would be to involve your electrician, help him with the installation, thereby learning the some of the practicalities, saving him paying out for labour, and , as he will have been involved with the job from start to finish, he will be able to certify it, saving you a LABC fee of around £300.

 

[dontknowitall]

personally, i think your best bet would be to involve your electrician, help him with the installation, thereby learning the some of the practicalities, saving him paying out for labour, and , as he will have been involved with the job from start to finish, he will be able to certify it, saving you a LABC fee of around £300.

This is probably the route I will take but I do find it amazing at the flak I've received from others for daring to consider doing a short electrician's course despite the fact that I have a Part P qualification and some experience in electrics.

Many thanks, Telectrix!!

 

[alarm man]

This is probably the route I will take but I do find it amazing at the flak I've received from others for daring to consider doing a short electrician's course despite the fact that I have a Part P qualification and some experience in electrics.

Many thanks, Telectrix!!

to be honest mate,i dont doubt your a decent bloke and tradesman ,but your part of the problem,not the solution.

 

[Des 56]

It may be a better option for you to employ an electrician. with you assisting installation where possible
Rewiring is usually easier with a spare pair of hands and it needs only one man to know the ins and outs,so getting co,operation may be easier than going it alone

You would gain experience that will make any future work less haphazzard than if you jump in at the deep end

It could be combined with one of the fly by night courses,the theory gained would then be better understood when combining it with practical experience
Further projects would become less of a gamble on safety

Its not rocket science,but neither is it something that can be compared to painting and decorating
Using the wrong paint doesn't have the potential for fire or injury or manslaugter
Best to walk before running, even if it costs more for the stroll

 

[dontknowitall]

i believe this is a little course to take..
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to be honest mate,i dont doubt your a decent bloke and tradesman ,but your part of the problem,not the solution.

To be honest mate, I doubt you're a decent bloke ...

 

[alarm man]

To be honest mate, I doubt you're a decent bloke ...

im not mate,never claimed to be,im a shallow hal

 

[topquark]

im not mate,never claimed to be,im a shallow hal

Nah, just a realist mate!

 

[OllieNotts]

A part P cert surely means he can start re-wires all by himself after a course with "a bit of theory thrown in"?

 

[Arnold Layne]

A part P certificate only means that someone is certified ( not Competent) to undertake certain work in domestic environments. It was the government's way to regulate the DIY situation, nothing more. Some very competent electricians ( commercial) do not have Part P certs but I know who I would trust to rewire my home ( and it is not Part Ps)

 

[supasparxs]

Forgive me if I'm mistaken
but a plumber or kitchen fitter can certify minor works, like a spur for a boiler or even wiring a kitchen.
I didn't think they could carryout a rewire?

by the way.
I got a plumber to relocate and upgrade my boiler, and I did the plumbing for the en-suite, changed all the boilers etc.

Sparks are the brainy plumbers at the end of the day........

 

[dingledong]

dont know it all do you know a short course where i could brush up om my plumbing skill i work for an agency where the plumber is going on on holiday for 3 months so i would like to take over from him till he gets back
1 so he has a job to come back to
2 for the extra wages
3 its all domestic
i'd be grateful for your input

 

[pmac10]

unfortunately dontknowitall, i'm not a domestic spark so can't advise you, but i would like to point out to people, that dontknowitall is a plumber who specialises in oil fired heating and has gone to great lengths to help me in the past on the plumbers forum, but as an afterthought, those 6 week wonder courses may be better suited to someone like yourself, rather than someone making the switch from, i dunno, bank clerk???

 

[dingledong]

if thats a dig at me i have asked the question in all sincerity as the facts 1 2 and 3 are true . i was hoping he could genuinely help me